A variety of surface maintenance machines are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Examples of such machines include large street sweepers, and smaller floor sweepers or scrubbers, or a combination thereof. Such machines typically include a brush for engaging debris upon the floor surface and a vacuum system for assisting in the recovery of debris from the floor surface. It is also known in the art to utilize a rotary brush with a flexible surface engaging skirting, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,659,921; 5,991,953; and 6,073,295, each being incorporated by reference herein. The brush and skirting may be used in association with a vacuum system to contain some of the dust associated with the brush. The skirting may be retractable relative to the brush, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,128.
Generally, conventional street sweepers and the like use at least one and preferably two side rotary brushes and a rotating broom which sweep pavement or other surfaces to remove debris and clean the surface. As the sweeper passes over the surface to be cleaned, the side brushes dislodge and sweep the debris such as dirt, leaves, gravel and the like between the wheels and toward the machine center. A debris windrow may be formed along the longitudinal axis of the sweeper. The rotating broom conveys the debris into a collection hopper. Many modern street sweepers not only sweep debris with the broom, but also have on-board storage adjacent the broom where debris swept by the broom can be picked up and removed for disposal.
Unfortunately, such street sweepers have several disadvantages. One problem with side or gutter brooms is that not all the debris ends up in the windrow. Depending on the debris type, some particles may be thrown clear by the brush. Additionally, brush-transported dust and debris often creates an objectionable airborne dust cloud. In residential areas the creation of a dust cloud may be especially objectionable.